Cancer screening rates among culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia sit well below the national average. The barriers are real but rarely technical — they're rooted in language access, cultural attitudes toward preventive health, and unfamiliarity with a healthcare system that assumes a level of English-language confidence many communities don't have.
The Settlement Council of Australia recognised that closing this gap required more than translated pamphlets. They needed resources that spoke to each community on its own terms — addressing the specific cultural contexts, sensitivities, and communication preferences that shape how people engage with health information. SCOA partnered with LEXIGO to develop a multilingual awareness initiative focused on bowel, breast, and cervical cancer screening across 10 language groups.
The initiative reached over 300,000 people across multiple digital platforms, with resources designed to meet communities where they already consume information rather than expecting them to seek it out.
The most telling metric wasn't reach — it was behavioural change. Post-campaign surveys showed an 86% increase in intent to screen among participants, demonstrating that culturally informed communication doesn't just raise awareness but shifts attitudes and drives action.
QR codes embedded in resources gave people instant access to in-language health information, making it easy to explore screening options independently or share with family members. The initiative proved that when health communication is built with communities rather than for them, the results speak for themselves.
LEXIGO worked alongside SCOA in a genuine partnership model, drawing on SCOA's deep community connections to ensure every piece of content was shaped by the people it was designed to reach.
Resources were developed across 10 languages — Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Dari, Dinka, Hindi, Karen, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese — representing more than 20 distinct communities. LEXIGO's team included NAATI-certified translators who were not only linguistically qualified but were themselves members of the target communities, bringing lived understanding to every translation decision.
Rather than translating a single English master and distributing it, the process built in a community feedback loop at every stage. SCOA's networks reviewed initial translations, flagged cultural sensitivities, and validated that messaging felt authentic and relatable rather than institutional. LEXIGO then refined each piece based on that feedback, ensuring cultural adaptation went well beyond language.
The result was 110 multilingual resources — including explainer videos, radio announcements, social media content, and print materials — each tailored to the communication preferences and media habits of its target audience.